NEW DELHI: A heated argument broke out at The Oval during India’s training session between head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief curator Lee Fortis, just two days before the all-important fifth Test against England. The confrontation was triggered when Fortis allegedly instructed the Indian support staff to maintain a 2.5-meter distance from the pitch—something that didn’t sit well with Gambhir and led to a verbal clash.
The exchange escalated quickly, with Gambhir reportedly telling Fortis: "you don't tell any of us what we need to do, you have no right to tell us, you are just a groundsman nothing beyond." In response, Fortis threatened to report the matter further.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Reacting to the incident, veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin drew comparisons with a similarly tense moment from the Sydney Test during India’s 2020-21 tour of Australia.
"I can draw a parallel with Sydney. When we drew the Test in Sydney, there was an uncertainty because we were back in the bubble and the Gabba Test was under scrutiny. England were comfortably ahead in the series until that last Test. Till the last day, we thought the Test series was sealed. But the way that game ended, even if it was a draw, and the conversations it triggered and the press conference... it was fiery," Ashwin explained.
He also addressed the recent tensions and their possible influence on the Indian squad’s mindset.
"I won't go into whether Gambhir was right about asking for a substitute or how Stokes immediately shut it down... after all of this comes the video of the fight. And I am thinking, 'Boss, what are you doing? This isn't how you want to play with this Indian team,'" he stated.
Ashwin suggested that such fiery episodes could actually fuel the team's performance, especially under pressure.
"When adversity is against the Indian team, somebody will rise up. When we are pushed against the wall, the Indian team becomes a different kettle of fish. It becomes a different beast. That particular thing going into the Test is a serious advantage for India. It may mean nothing if England play good cricket and India don't end up on the right side, but somehow I feel this is not the way it has to be triggered," Ashwin concluded.
With high stakes already in play, the incident has added a fresh layer of intensity to the series-deciding Test.
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